Humidifier



March 29 1927.

F. F. BAHNSON HUMIDIFIER Filed Feb. 27, 1925 mwwmfm attenta?.

v1,622,482 PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC IE.V BAHNSON, OF WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA.

HUMIDIFIER.

application inea February 2r, i925. serial no. 12,084..

This invention relates to humidifiers and particularly to small and portable humidiiels adapted for use Iin compartments or.

cases, such for instance as cigar cases.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Ser. No. 725,673, filed July 12,1924.

According to the present invention the desired humidity within a compartment or 1ocase is secured by the use of a humidifier of the same general type as that disclosed iu my copending application, Ser. No. 723,404,-

filed June 30, 1924.

A n object of the invention is to provide a clean and sanitary humidifiery of the type in which moisture is taken upl by an air current passing along a wetted surface. An Objectis to provide a humidifier of the type stated operative to supply an air current of high humidity but which is free from water drops or mist. A'further object of the in vention is to provide a humidier in which a non-absorbent surface traversed by an air current is supplied with a relatively large quantity of water which will keep the wetted surface clean. More specifically an object is to provide a humidifier in which the water receptacle and the wetted surface are transparent se that all ,of the operating parts are constantly in view. y

These` and other objects of my invention are attained by the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig.. 1 is a side view, .partly in central vertical section, of a humidifier;

Fig. 2 is a broken vertical section through the water elevator;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the relative inclination of the fan blades and the passages through the wetted surface Fig.. l is a broken elevation, and

Fig. 5 a wiring diagram of the humidistat.

ln the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a receptacle for holding Water, which receptacle is preferably of a glass of common construction, for instance, a bread pan of Pyrex or other heat-resistant glass. The upper edge of the receptacle is provided. with a peripheral shoulder 2 upon which rests the fianged supporting frame or cover 3, a rubber strip or bead i being preferably arranged between the cover and thek receptacle.

The cover or supporting frame 3 is provided with an internally flanged opening 5 therethrough, which opening is preferably circular in plan and arranged substantially centrally of the cover 3. A. substantially vertical wall 6 rests upon the cover 3 and surrounds theopening 5, the wall preferably comprising a glass cylinder which is held to the cover by an annulus 7 and bolts 8, suitable gaskets 9 .being arranged between the wall .6 and the coverand annulus, respectively.

. The operating parts of the humidier are supported by the cover 3, either directly, or as illustrated they may be` carried by the annulus 7. The operating parts'l comprise an electric motor 1,0, having legs 11 which rest upon the annulus 7 and receive the bolts 8, the legs 11 being of such length that the armature shaft12 terminates below the upper edge of the wall or cylinder 6. A water elevator 13 and a fan 14 are welded or soldered to a sleeve 15 which is fixed to the armature shaft 12 in any suitable way as vby means of a setscrew.` The elevator 13 comprises a tube having the shape of a right circular cylinder and terminating in an end wall 16 having an opening therethrough .of less diameter than the inner diameter of the tube 13. While notA essential, the end wall is preferably formed as an inverted truncated cone having an inner wall arranged at an angle of from 15 to 45 degrees to the axis of the cylindrical tube. ll'f desired, the lifting power of the elevator may be increased by providing an impeller blade 17 arran ed diametrically across the opening in tle end wall 16. The upper' porn tion of the tube 13 is provided with a plurality, of openings 18 which are located above the cover 3 and belowthe fan 142. The water elevator 13 is so designed that it will deliver to the wall or cylinder 6 a quantity of water greatly in excess of the amount which can be evaporated by the air current established by the fan 14.

The fan 14 comprises an imperforate disk having inclined blades 19 at the periphery thereof. The fan ma circular plate bl ben ing the substantially rectangular bla es 1Q from the plane of the plate and removing so much of the metal as is not needed to support the blades. As illustrated, sections have been removed to leave a triangular or cantilever support for each blade. While this specific construction is not essential, practical considerations make is necessar to establish an air current which is limite to a flow along the walls be formed from a' ath may be provided by a metal drum 20- aving air passages therethrough which are so arranged as to leave a great number of uninterrupted smooth-edged paths for the return flow of the water. As shown in the drawings, louvers i 21 which extend longltudinally of the drum 20 provide the air passages and water paths. The use of louvers is particularly advantageous since they may be so arranged as to cause a reversal of the air flow as viewed from above, which reversal will effectively remove any drops or mist which may have been entrained in the air current. As shown in Fig. 3, the fan blades set up a clockwise rotation of the air current but the air passages formed by the louvers 21 allow the escape of the air current with a counter-clockwise whirl.

The lower end of the drum 20 is closed by a disk 22 of wire gauze or the like, which acts as a strainer for thewater supplied to the elevator and also prevents the water from taking up a whirl with the elevator, which rotation of the water would prevent the pump fromv functioning. v

The cover 3 is provided with louvered openings 23 near each end thereotI for the discharge of the moist lair into the cigar case or other space in which the humidity is to be controlled.

Supporting feet or lugs 24 of rubber or felt are preferably attached to the bottom of the receptacle 1 in anyvdesired manner.

The motor 10 may be automatically controlled by a switch which is opened and closed b v the expansion and contraction of a humidistat. In the form illustrated the switch comprises a pair of springmembers 25 having contacts 26 which contact-with each other when the members 25 are substantially parallel. `The lower ends of the members 25 are fixed to a stationary support 27 and the upper ends are fixed to a slide 28 which is movable within guides 29. Within the guide channels 29 and between the slide 28 and a cross-bar 30 is arranged a hygrometric element 31, such as a strip of wood. An adjustingr screw 32 which passes through the cross-bar 30 and carries a locknut 33 engages a bearing strip 34 which contacts with the wooden strip 31. By suitably adjusting the screw 32. the expansion of the hygrometric strip 31 will open the contacts 26 when the desired humidity is attained. As

illustrated in Fig. 5, the motor 10 and a resistance such as a lamp are connected in series across the power line and the automatic switch is shunted across the lamp 35. rl`he resistance of the lamp is so chosen that when the switch is open and the motor and lamp are in series across the line, the drop in potential across the motor is not sufficient to operate the same. lVhen the switch is closed the lamp is short-circuited and the full drop is across the motor.

The elements of the automatic switch are mounted upon a standard 36 which is carried by a base 37 and the resistance 35 comprises a lamp at the top of the standard and shielded by a hood 38. The intermittent flashing of the lamp as the humidifier goes` into and out of operation attracts attention to the cigar case, and if desired, transparent advertising screens or slides may be so positioned that they will be illuminated when the lamp is energized.

The humidistat will be placed in any convenient location within the cigar case or other compartment and the hygrostatic switch will be placed some distance away from the humidifier. When the humidity falls below the predetermined point, the switch will close to throw the full line potential across the motor 10. As the motor 10 rotates water will travel u the inside of the tube 13, and be thrown t roughthe -openings v18 and upon the wall 6. The air current estab-lished by the fan 14 moves along the wall 6 and takes up moisture therefrom and from the water which flows down the drum 20. The moist air current then escapes laterally from the receptacle 1 by way of passages 23. When the desired humidity is attained, the 'automatic switch opens to cut in the resistance 35 and stop the motor.

It will be noted that the air current takes up moisture by evaporating water from a stream which flows along a non-absorbent surface. For some purposes it is not essential that the air current be free from tine drops or a mist of water, but absolute freedom from entrained particles of water is a requisite of humiditiers for use in cigar cases or in other places where the goods stored 'are subject to damage by water. I have discovered that it is not practical, with small machines, to supply moisture to the air current by atomizing water into the current and then eliminating the entrained particles. Some water is entraiued in the air current as the streams of water from the openings 18 cross the air path to reach the wall 6. but the amount so entrained is very small. sinceI the water is not atomized, but is in a stream or in the form of large particles as it crosses the thin air current. Any entrained particles are removed as the air current changes direction iu passing the louvers 21. lVater flowing from the wall 6 does not cross the air stream but travels down the continuous paths provided by the louvers 21.

It is to be noted that the elevator 13 is of such construction as to prevent the lifting,

of water by the outer wall of the tube since llie outer wall'is normal to the surface of the water.

It will be apparent that the invention is not limited to 'the iiiibodiineiit herein described, norl is a humidifier embodying the invention limited in its application to the specific uses speciied herein.` While I prefer to form the receptacle 1 alid clyiiider 6 ot' transparent material iii order tliattlle device may be readily inspected and cleaned, it is obvious that non-.transparent materials may be employed it desired. These and other changes in the several parts, their relative size,'sliape and location may be made without departing from the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an evaporatiiig humidifier, a receptacle for holding water, a vertically arranged aiid substantially cylindrical surface having its lowereiid below the normal water level, means operat-ive to deliver water from said receptacle to the upper portion ot' said surface, and means operative to establish a rotating tubular column otair moving downwardly along said surface, the lower portion of said surface being provided with passages Atherethrough and the walls deiining said passages being arranged to reverse the direction of rotation otl the air v current.

2. The invention as claimed in claim l, wherein the walls defining said passages have the form of a series-of axially arranged louvers which provide continuous paths for the return of water.

3. A humidifier comprising a receptacle, a supporting frame adapted to be positioned above -said receptacle, a substantially vertical wall carried by said frame, means operative to deliver water from said receptacle to said wall at the upper end thereof, means for establishing an air current along said wall, and means providing a continuous smooth-edged path from said wall to said receptacle for the return thereto ot' water not evaporated by the air current.

4. A humidifier comprising a receptacle for holding water, a supporting frame on said receptacle, a cylindrical non-absorbent wall carried by said frame, means for delivering a stream of water to t-lie inner surface of said wall near the top thereof, means establishing a tubular column of air moving along and rotating with respect to the wetted surface of said cylindrical wall, and a water separator including means reversing the direction of rotation of said air current.

5. A humidifier comprising a receptacle for holding water, a supporting frame on `said receptacle, a cylindrical non-absorbent Wall carried by said frame, means for deliveiing a stream of water to thev inner surface of said wall near the top thereof, means establishing a tubular column of air moving along and rotating with respect to the wetted surface of said cylindrical wall, and an eliminator designed. to remove the .greater part of the entrained moisture from the air current, said eliminator including means reversing the-direction of rotation ot' said air current.

6. An evaporating humidifier, comprising a receptacle for holding water, a frame on said receptacle and having an opening therethrough, a non-absorbent wall on said frame and above said opening, a drum a continuation of said wall terminating below the normal water level iiisaid receptacle, nieaiisoperative to-deliver a stream of water from said receptacle to the top of said wall, and means establishing a rotating tubular column of -air moving downwardly along said wall, said drum being provided with passages permitting the escape therefrom of the air current, the walls of said passages being arranged to reverse the direction of rotation of the air current 7. A humidifier comprising a receptacle for holding water, a cover :tor said receptacle having an opening therethrough, a nonabsorbent cylindrical wall extending above said cover and surrounding said opening, a motor above said Wall and diaving a shaft coaxial with said wall, a fan and a water elevator carried by said shaft, a louvered drum below said cover and providin a continuation of said cylindrical wall, an an apertured member closing the lower end of said drum 8. An evaporating humidifier comprising a receptacle for holding water, a cover for said receptacle and having an opening therethrough, a Wall surrounding said opening and extending above saidv cover, a drum `providing an extension of the inner surface of said wall. and terminatin below the normal water level, a vertica ly -arranged power shaft above said opening, means on said shaft operative to establish a tubular column of air moving downwardly along said surface, and a water elevator carried by said shaft and adapted to deliver a stream of water to saidvwall, the Wall of said ldrum being provided with passages permitting the escape therefrom of a substantially mist-free air current, and said,

cover beingk provided with openings permitting the exit of the humid air current.

9. In an evaporating humidifier, a cover adapted to be placed over a receptacle, an`

opening through saidcover, means providing an inner cylindrical surface etxending above said cover and terminating below the normal water level, a power shaft carried by providing l lua , said cover and coaxial with said surface, a.

' portion of imperforate portions of saidA surface between said passages being arranged to provide unbroken vertical paths for the 'return iow of water longitudinally o f said surface. 10. In an evaporating humidifier, a cover Vadapted to be placed over a receptacle, an

opening through said cover, means providing an inner cylindrical surface extending above said -cover and terminating below the normal Water level, a power 'shaft carried by said cover and coaxial with said surface, a `fan -on said shaft comprising blades adjacent said surface and an imperforate central portion, and a water elevator on said shaft for delivering a stream of water to the' upper end portion of said surface, said surface below said cover being provided with passages therethrough, said passages being defined by louvers struck out from'saidsurface, -the remaining portion of said surface providing unbroken paths for the return flow of water longitudinally thereof.

11. In a humidifier, a transparent receptacle for holding water, a transparent cylin der positioned above said receptacle, means for elevating Water from said receptacle and depositing the same upon the inner surface of said cylinder and means :for establishing a tubular column of air .Y moving downwardly along said wetted cylindrical surface.

In testimony whereof, I aix my si ature.

FREDERIC F. BAH SON. 

